You are here:

Why Economics or Finance?

Discover Excellence

SFA offers an environment that fosters learning and a focus on preparing you to meet the challenges ahead. Unique educational opportunities abound in the Department of Economics and Finance. Our program is packed with hands-on instruction opportunities like the Mast Student Investment Roundtable where students manage a real equity portfolio. The Student Investment Center mimics a real-world financial information hub, complete with a scrolling two-line stock ticker and three flat-screen monitors updating students on current financial news.

Reach Your Potential

According to PayScale.com, economics and finance graduates earn median starting salaries ranging from $46,500 to $47,300 per year. You'll hit the ground running and ready for employment after graduating from SFA's program. We offer majors in economics, business economics or finance with minors available in economics, finance and financial planning. There are three emphases within the finance major: investment management, banking and financial services and personal financial planning.

Find Direction

Faculty members have impressive credentials, and their expertise in business carries over into their classrooms. Class sizes are small (29 students), which enables faculty members to connect with and mentor students throughout their university experience. If you're wondering how you'll pay for college, don't stress. Scholarships, financial aid, grants, work-study and other avenues to help fund your education are available.

Gain Insight

Please click on the additional links on the left to learn more about why you should consider enrolling in SFA's Department of Economics and Finance.

Why Study Economics?

Since the late 1990's, Economics (or Business Economics) has been one of the fastest growing undergraduate majors in the U.S. for a number of reasons, including:

Job Opportunities: Many students mistakenly assume that the only reason to major in Economics is to become an economist, but in reality there are a large number of career opportunities available to undergraduate Economics majors.

Great Pay: According to PayScale, Economics is the fifth highest paid undergraduate major in the U.S. and is the highest paid undergraduate major that SFA offers.

Work Without Borders: Economics majors are in high demand all across the United States and around the world, with job opportunities from Washington D.C. and New York City to Dallas and Denver.

Intellectually Exciting: Economics covers some of the most important current events that shape our country and the world.

Preparation for Graduate School: Economics is well-known to be an ideal major for students interested in going to graduate school in law, business or public affairs.

Why Study Finance?

Finance majors at SFA are analytical thinkers, people educated to help both business managers and private individuals to make decisions about capital and commodity markets. These financial decisions will determine how and to what extent price movements in these markets will affect the profitability of the businesses that they work for and the wealth positions of the private individuals that they serve.

Some of our SFA finance majors will choose to work for large businesses - brokerages, banks, hospitals, oil companies, insurance firms, real estate development and so forth. Others will venture out on their own, serving as financial advisors to wealthy individuals or working on the buy side as a portfolio analyst.

We think our Lumberjack finance majors are a cut above the rest who do interesting and important work that is essential to making the American and the global economy work. Financial professionals are also paid well.